Basic Electronics – Resistance and Capacitor codes

Resistance colour codes

Below is the table containing resistance colour codes. Each color band represents a number and the order of the color band will represent a number value. The first 2 color bands indicate a number. The 3rd color band indicates the multiplier or in other words the number of zeros. The fourth band indicates the tolerance of the resistor +/- 20%, 10% or 5%.

Band ColourBand #1Band #2Band #3Multiplier value for
Band #3
Band #4
Black
0001
Brown11110
Red222100
Orange3331000
Yellow44410000
Green555100000
Blue6661000000
Violet77710000000
Gray888100000000
White9991000000000
None20%
Silver10%
Gold5%

In most cases, there are 4 color bands. However, certain precision resistors have 5 bands or have the values written on them, refining the tolerance value even more. There is no standard however, for the 5th band. From one manufacturing company to another, the 5th band may indicate 2%, 1%, 1/2% or even closer, according to their own standards.

There are also some capacitors that are color coded. Click here for Capacitor Color Code details.

 

Capacitor Codes

Some capacitors, especially polarized electrolytic ones have value printed on it. E.g. 100 µF 25 volt.

But some especially non polarized smaller capacitors have number code printed on it. If a capacitor is marked 105 it means 10+5 zeros= 10 + 00000=1000000 pF=1000 nF = 1 µF. Values are always in PicoFarads(pF). The letters added to the value is the tolerance and in some cases a second letter is the temperature coefficient mostly only used in military applications, or industrial components.

Capacitor value codes

3rd DigitMultiplierLetterTolerance
01D0.5 pF
110F1%
2100G2%
31000H3%
410000J5%
5100000K10%
6,7Not UsedM20%
80.01P+100, -0%
90.1Z+80, - 20%

Examples

102 = 10+00 =100 pF=1nf=0.001 µF

472=47+00=4700 pF=4.7nF=0.0047 µF

Conversion from µF to nF to pF

1 µF = 1000 nF = 1000000 pF

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